Ice-making apparatus



L. BLOCK ICE MAKING APPARATUS Jan, 13, 1925.

Filed ost. 1925 m4 MQ limi/(JW ATTORNEY Jan. 13, 1925` 1,522,487

L. BLOCK ICE MAKING APPARATUS' Filed 8, 1923 3 SheetslSheet 2 I NvENToR j 6M lj- Bmgmf. il ATTORNEY Jan, 13, 1925.

L. BLOCK ICE MAKING APPARATUS Patented dan. 13, 1925.

UNlTED STATES Leurs BLOCK, or Marianouncx, New Yoan.-

CE-MAKNG AEPABIATUS.

Application filed Detener 8, 192B. Serial No. 667,247,

To all whom t may concern:

Be itfknown that 1, Lours BLoox, a citizen of the United States, residing at Mamaroneck, in the county of Westchester and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in loe-Making Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to apparatus of the fixed can type, and the object of the invention is to provide means for holding the cans in place, means for filling the cans and supplying air thereto economically and efficiently and also effecting a desirable saving in vertical height or apparatus.

The invention consistsin certain novel features and details of construction and arrangements of parts by which the above and other objects are attained, to be. hereinafter described and claimed.

The accompanying drawings form a part of this specification and show the invention as it has been carried out in practice.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the improved tank, partly in vertical section.

Figurey 2 is a plan view, partly in horizontal section, with certain portions broken away to show the parts below.

Figure 3 is a vertical longitudinal section, partly in elevation.

Figure 4 isa vertical section, on a larger scale, showing a means for attaching the bottoms of the ice cans to the tank.

Figure' is a corresponding plan view of an annular fitting by which such attachment is made.

Figure 6 Yis a lvertical section, on an enlarged scale, through the upper portions of adjacent cans, showing themeans employed for holding the rims of the cans in position.

Figure 7 is a vertical section showing another form of attaching means for the bottoms of the cans.

Similar reference numerals indicate the -same parts in all the figures.

The foundation on which the ice tank is supported is marked 10 and may be of concrete upon which lies the true bottom 11 of thetank. Secured to the bottom 11 by angle irons 12 are the vertical end walls and sides marked respectively 13 and 14.

Extending longitudinally upon the bottom 11 are channel beams which with angle irons16 on the inner faces, ofv the walls and ends support-a false bottom 17 for the tank. upon which the ice cans are detachably mounted.

The closed spac'erbetween the true and false vbottoms of the tank provides a shallow chamber beneath the whole area and has a depth determined by the height of the beams and maybe understood to be about four` inches. Three such beams are shown in the drawings; the central beam 19 extends from the rear nearly to 'the front end wall, and the beams 20 and 21 laid intermediate the central beam and sidewalls 14, extend from the front end wall nearly to the rear end wall, thus dividing the chamber into approximately equal passages, four in number, each in communicationfwith the next around the end of the intervening beam and forming together a long serpentine channel 15.

In the tank and extending from the front end wall nearly to the rear end wall is a vertical partition 22 located above the cen tral beam 19 and dividing the body of the tank into two portions in communication around the open end of the partition. The ice cans are of the usual size and shape, each comprising a slightly tapered body 23, rectangular in plan, with a raised bottom 24; they are arranged in rows side by side on each side of the partition 22.

Refrigerated brine ente-rs the tank at the front through an inlet 25 controlled by a gate 26 and iiows rearwardly through one of the tank portions, around the open end of the partition 22 and then forwardly in the other portion to an outlet 27 alsoY provided with a gate 28, bathing the exterior Surfaces of the ice cansin its traverse, freezing their contents, and escaping partially warmed as usual.

A warm brine inlet 29 and outlet 30 is provided at the front to supply sufficient heat to the can bodies to release the ice blocks formed therein.

The top of the tank is provided with a framework 31 adapted to receive the upper margins of the ice cans and hold the removable insulating covers 32 in place on the cans, and the walls of the tank are protected by an insulating casing as usual.

Each can has a largecentral opening 33 in its bottom 24, surrounded on the under face by an annular fitting 34 of cup-form having an outwardly extendinfr Yflange l36 at the top by which it isse'cured to the can by rivets andv solder, and an inwardly pro-1 'mounted a rubber jecting annular lip 37 at the bottom, provided on its under face with an annular groove of dovetail section in which is projecting portion ot which applies upon a reinforcing plate 48 riveted upon the upper face of the false bottom 17, and seals the joint between the can and false bottom. The latter and the reinforcing plate are drilled and tapped as at 18 to receive the screwthreaded lower end of a connection or plug 39-inserted through the opening provided by the lip 37 and having a fixed collar 40V adapted to seat on such lip, and a squared or hexagonal head by which it may rbe turned by the application of a long socket-wrench inserted through the interior ofthe can, and screwed home, thus securing the ice can rigidly to the false bottom.

The plug 39, see Figure 4, has a downwardly projecting nipple 49 oi' less diameter than the body of the plug, extending a short distance below the under face of the false bottom, and the plug' and nipple are drilled axially to provide an aperture 41 therethrough leading from the chamber beneath the false bottom to the can. Thus connected lthe cans are held reliably and are further maintained in position by screws 42 extending through the rims of the cansy into the framework 31.

` Alongside the aperture 41 in the plug 39 is drilled a smaller hole extending from the'top of the plug to the shoulder 51 formed at the junction of the nipple 49 therewith, which shoulder lies about Hush with the under face of the false bottom. Both the apertures 41 and holes 50 will admit mingled air and water from the chamber to the ice cans but any air freed from the water and accumulated beneath the false bottom will lind its way readily to the cans for the reason that the ingress open-ings of the holes 50 are. located at a higher lever than those of the apertures 41.

In the form of plug shown in Figure 7 the downwardly projecting portion or nipple 52 is provided with a lateral orifice 53 drilled radially to the central aperture 54. As this oriceis located above the inlet opening of the aperture 54, the action is similar to that above described.

In order to prevent absorption of heat from below by the cold brine, the false bottom 17 is insulated on its upper face between the adjacent lower ends or" the cans.

by wood or other nonconducting material 55 which may be similar to that shown and described in Letters Patent No. 501,316, dated July l1, 1893; this retards the formation of ice at the bottoms of the cans and prevents the transferrence of heat from the water in the space or chamber between the true and false bottoms 11 and 17 'to' the brine circulating between the cans gasket 38 theY downwardly n The operation is as followsz-The waterk inlet 46 is opened toV admit water to the space or chamber between the tank bottoms untilthe @ans have been filled through vthe apertures 41 and holes 50 in the screw plugs, then the air inlet pipes 45 are opened4 to supply air. The brine inlet 25 and outlet 27 are then opened and cold brine circulated through the tank and between the cans, passi ing around the end of the partition 22 in its'traverse and through the outlet 27-to the brine cooler, not shown. The air blown into the water forms a mixture in the chamber and thus mingled with the water v'is delivered to the cans in sutlicient quantities through the apertures 41 and holes 50to sure the required agitationV of the water in the cans to produce clear ice. Air separated :trom the water andV rising to the upper portion of the chamber will escape through the holes 50 andperformthe desired function Y of agitating the water Vin the cans.

Should the water in the cans be of such character as to need changing during the freezing process, the drain pipe 43'is opened and the water in the chamber together'with the unfrozen water in the cans is drawn o tf. Then ltered pure water is pumped into the chamber through the water inlet pipe 46 and air supplied as before until the ice cans are again supplied with the agitated water and the ice blocks are solidly frozen. As soon as this condition is reached the circulation of refrigerated brine is stopped by.closing the gates 26' and 28 at the brineinlet and outlet, and the supply of compressed air is cut off. The brine is then taken out through the pipe 30, is warmed and returned to the tank through pipe 29, and the circulation of warmed brine maintained until thatA portion of the ice' blockin contact with the sides of the can is sufficiently melted to free the sides of the cake from the can. At the same time warmed water through the serpentine channels of the chamber or space beneath the false bottom 17 of the tank to melt and free the lower end of the cake. The ice blocks may then be lifted from the cans by suitablehoisting means attachedV to short lengths of'pipe or the like frozen into the upper endsv ofthe blocks. j

It will be noted thatthe attachment of the can bottom 24 to the falsebottom 17 of the tank is ei'ected from above so that is circulated the closed space or chamber between the true and false bottoms may be very shallow, for the reason that no pipe fitting or other Work is performed therein, thus permitting a corresponding reduction in the height oi" the apparatus and of the building in which the apparatus is installed.

l Claim:-

l. An apparatus orp the character set forth. comprising a tank having a true bottom and a false bottom with a relatively shallow chamber between them, said false bottom having a plurality of openings therein, a plurality of iee eans in said tank eaeh in communication with said Chamber through one of said openings, means for admitting Water to said chamber, means for introducing air into the Water in said chamber at an inlet point in the Wall thereof to mingle directly at that point with such Water and to be distributed thus mingled throughout said Chamber to all of said openings, and means in said openings for permitting the iiovv or' Water and air separately from said chamber to said Cans.

2. An apparatus of the character set forth, Comprising a tank having a true bottom and a false bottom with a relatively shallowr chamber between them, said false bottoni having a plurality of openings therein, a plurality of ice cans in said tank each in communication with said chamber through one oi? said openings, means for admitting Water to said chamber, means for introducing air into the Water in said chamber' at an inlet point in the Wall thereof to mingle directly at that point With such Water and to be distributed thus mingled throughout said Chamber to all of said openings, and a screw plug in the bottom of each of said cans, oining the latter to said false bottom, said plugs each having two independent passages communicating through said opening With said Chamber upon different levels, for permitting the flow of Water and air separately from said chamber to said can.

In testimony that l claim the invention above set forth l affix my signature hereto.

LOUIS BLOCK. 

